Police Oral Board Interview - From Stress To Success

Featured Author:

Sergeant George Godoy

Sergeant George Godoy (ret) is a 22 year police veteran from the Denver, Colorado area. During the last 5 years of his law enforcement career he was a police recruiter and investigator responsible for the hiring of police officers. His responsibilities included screening police applicants, administering written tests, participating in oral board interviews, and completing police background investigations.

George is the founder of the Police Exam 911 learning system for police candidates. Utilizing streaming video and digital technology, police hopefuls are taken step-by-step through the application process, written test, oral board, psych, and polygraph exam. Police Exam 911 has been instrumental in helping hundreds of police applicants realize their dream of becoming a police officer.

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The image you present in your Police Oral Board Interview is one of the most important elements to consider in any preparations you undertake.

The most positive image to present is one that displays character traits that are universally perceived as positive. Bringing a powerful combination of accepted positive images to your interview is a sure way to make a winning impression that puts you one step closer to your ultimate goal – becoming a police officer.

WHATMAKES A POSITIVEIMAGE

Some positive image elements to incorporate into your interview would include showing:

Appreciation – for the opportunity to interview for the position.

Enthusiasm – for the job. Your interest should be genuine and informed.

Empathy – for others and displaying an understanding for the role compassion plays in police work.

Confidence – in yourself and your abilities. Be comfortable with your beliefs and reveal your trust in the abilities of others.

Practice applying these image elements to everything you do, every encounter with another person, and soon, they will become a part of you – natural and supportive in all your social interactions – ready to reassure others of your capable nature and social skills.

WHAT TO DO

A number of important actions need to be strictly under your control for the best chances of success in your interview, these include:

Do Not Be Late! Target your arrival to be at least 20 minutes prior to the scheduled interview time.

Walk into the interview room smiling, head up, and with excellent posture.

Make eye contact with each interviewer and introduce yourself – give a firm handshake – if the courtesy is offered.

Wait to be seated, then sit when invited to do so, smile and say ‘thank you’.

Let the interviewers begin the conversation.

Small talk should be responded to with respectful phrases appropriate to a police department – yes sir, no sir, yes ma’am, no ma’am – while keeping additional comments brief and to the point.

WHAT TO SAY

Once the interview begins, the positive image you have worked to establish so far must be given depth and reality with effective speaking. Your ability to convey your thoughts clearly and concisely is a powerful factor for success in your interview.

I actually managed to pass my oral interview and even made two of the three interviewers chuckle, but that did not necessarily mean I was going to be hired. The interview is only half the battle. I wasn't hired but that's not going to stop me from trying again and again. Don't be disheartened if you don't get hired keep trying.

Great article and some good initial advice. You mention "doing your homework" and "speaking intelligently" in the interview, both of which are key. But to build on what you say, in my experience, going on a ride-a-long with the agency you are applying to is a critical step and is a big part of that all important homework. This allows you to understand what the current issues facing the department, how you can fill those needs, and really show them in an intelligent way how you are ready to become a cop with their organization and are the best candidate for the position. I think this is a much better strategy than trying to memorize generic interview questions. Only through first hand experience and conversations with current employees can you make your answers come alive for the panel!

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Great tips and advice on the interview. I will share a guide that I learned about from this site. It helped me with my oral interview and I want to share it with the community. It's called police oral board interview secrets. I read about it on this board and went ahead and downloaded it. The results were mind-blogging. The panel was very impressed with my performance. You can go and download the book at http://PoliceOralBoardInterviewSecrets.com

This panel interview is not as hard as you think. Yes, there are going to be some scenario base questions, but if you study up on what questions you'll be asked, you should be fine. I'd suggest getting a police interview prep guide as you prepare for the interview. I used the tips offered here, as well as this police interview book found at http://www.policeoralboardinterviewsecrets.com